Sole-punching machine



Jul 8,1924. 1,500,263

J. E. PERRA'ULT SOLE PUNCHING MACHINE,

Filed July 23 ,1923 2 Sheets-She 1 Inventor:

JosephEZernault,

J.E.PERRAULT SOLE PUNCHING MACHINE Filed Jgly 2s 2 Sheath-Sheet. 2

Patented July 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,500,263 PATENT QFFICE.

JOSEPH E. PERRAULT, F WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HOODRUiBBER COMPANY, OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, A COBPOBATKON OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

SOLE-PUNCHING LIACHTNE.

' Application filed July 23, 1923. Serial No. 653,269.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH EJPERRAULT, a citizen of the United States, and resident 7 of lVatertown, in the county of Middlesex, and state of Massachusettahave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sole-Punching Machines, of which the fol-' lowing is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve- 710 ments in punching machines, and aims to provide a machine for punching holes. in sole blanks used in the manufacture of rubber soled athletic shoes. In these the soles are provided with recesses which give a suction grip and prevent slipping, and these recesses can be conveniently and economically formed by punching holes completely through the outer sole blanks before they are assembled in the shoe and vulcanized.

"2 Theunvulcanized rubber of which such sole punching press, the accompanying drawings, in'which:

.' Figure 1" is a side elevation of such a press. f Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on line 2 2 of Fig. 1'.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the die plateand parts carried thereby, and the punch carrying plate, theother press parts being omitted for clearness of illustration.

-Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are detailed views.

' Referring 'by reference characters to these" drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the ram of a punching press, which may be of the ordinary or any desired type and is, therefore, only conventionally shown in the drawings. YTo'this ram is secured a punch car- 'cated at 3. In the presentiembodiment of the invention, the punches are arranged in triplicate, whereby I am' enabled to punch the heels and also the balls of the soles of samens, womens and youths shoes of. various shoes.

shown. The soles are placed on the die plate rying plate 2 which carries the punches indisizes. The punch designated 3, Figs. 2 and 3, is for punching a single hole in the heel of a sole blank (indicated at l), which blank is shown in position in Fig. 2 by dotted lines, as a mens sole blank. The second-set comprises four punches indicated at 3*, which are designed to punch four. holes in the ball of the sole blank, and these punches are spaced and disposed for punching the balls of the soles of larger size, such as mens, as indicated by the dotted lines showing the blank and designated 4. The third set of punches indicated at 3, comprises four punches disposed in similar relation, but set closer together for punching the balls of the sole blanks used in womens and youths There is a wide dilference in the sizes of mens shoes on the one hand, and womens and youths, on the other, which requires two sets of punches, 3 and 3, but each class of soles alsovaries in size according to the sizeof shoe upon which it is'to' be used. It is, therefore, desirable to provide means for accurately positioning the various sizes of soles. To this end I provide positioners or gauges, 5 5 and 5, correspondng respectively to the punches 3, 3 and 3. These positioners comprise upper and lower carrying plates having recessed front edges, oneach side of which recesses are arranged a plurality of stop devlces designed to engage with the edges of the sole blank to position it relative to the punches. As each of these stop devices is substantially the same, specific description and detailed illustration of one will answer for all. In Fig. 6, which represents a section on line 66 of Fig. 2, it will be seen that the stop device comprises upper and lower plates 0, which are secured to a carryingbar 6 located in the rear of the punches and projecting forward therefrom and having their front edges recessed, as indicated at 0. The stop devices are in the shape of rollers c journaled in the top and bottom plates in two converging rows, as

and slid forward until the edge of the heel or toe portion contacts with and is positioned by the rollers 0 the rolling action of these, by not allowing adhesion to the edge ,of the plastic sole blank, prevents frictional interferen'ce with the placing of the blank. 'For adjusting the positioners or gauges fi 'and 5' for varying sizes of soles, the carrying bar 6 has one end fulcrumed at 6? and means are 110 provided by which the opposite end may be moved to determine distances towards or from the punches. Such means, in the present embodiment, takes the form of a spring 7 connecting the free end of the bar 6 to a fixed part of the punch frame, and a swinging handle bar 8 which has a pin or detent 8 engaging any one of a plurality of notches 9 in a quadrant plate 9. By swinging the handle to the right direction, the detent may be engaged with one of the notches to hold the bar 6 in position to cause the gauges to position the desired size of sole properly rel ative to the punches. As the positioner or gauge 5 cooperates only with the heels, being designed to make a single opening in the heels of both mens, and womens and youths soles, it requires a different range of adjustment. This is accomplished by securing the positioner plates to an arm 10 fulcrumed at 10 which arm is connected by a link 11 with the bar 6.

As hereinbefore stated, the unvulcanized rubber of which the soles are composed is so tacky or sticky that it has a high coelii cient of friction to sliding which causes material difiiculty in presenting the soles in proper position for punching. Anti-frictiondevices are, therefore, provided for the surfaces which are touched by the soles, which comprise balls 12 which are placed in holes 13 in the die plate 1-3, these holes being constricted at their upper ends so that the balls only project slightly therethrough, as shown in Fig. 5, the balls being inserted from the lower side of the die plate and held in position. by suitable closure devices, indicated at 13 By reason of the tacky or sticky nature of the rubber, above referred to, means must be provided for preventing the piece punched out by each die from following the punch back through the opening. In the type of die ordinarily heretofore used, the die opening has been made of a size which allows the punched material to pass through with little resistance, the die opening generally being enlarged below the cutting edge. In operating upon resilient tacky material such as rubber, the portion which is punched out remains under compression until the moment of shear, but contracts laterally immediately after the shear,

though expanding vertically, and hence barely touches the sides of the die opening, but tends to adhere to the face of the punch and thus be drawn back with the punch. To

co -upper part of the die opening 00 of which avoid this, I provide the die opening with a The die is prefer- 1 receives the punch, while the lower part w 7 is constricted.

The result of this is that as the punch forces the punched out piece downwardly,it enters the constricted opening and the lateral pressure caused by the constricted walls produces acoefficient of friction which is in excess of the tendency of the punched out blank to stick to the face of the punch.

The press is provided with the customary stripper plate, indicated at 14:.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is I. In punching apparatus for the purpose described, a die plate having a die opening, and a reciprocating cylindrical punch cooperating therewith, said die opening having its upper portion corresponding in diameter and length to the die, and having a converging portion immediately below said cylindrical portion.

2. In punching apparatus for the purpose described, a reciprocating cylindrical die and a die plate having a die opening there through, the upper portion of which open-x ing is cylindrical and of a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the punch while the lower portion is cylindricaland of less dian'ieter, there being an inclined wall portion joining said upper and lower.

cylindrical portions.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a die plate having a-die opening, a punch co operating therewith, guiding means for p0- vsitioning the articles relative to the punch;

and anti-friction devices carried bythe die plate adjacent the die opening.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a die plate having a die opening, a punch 00- operating therewith, guiding means for, pos;

ing for engaging opposite edges of the sole', f

and apiurality of balls rotatablyseated in recesses in the die plate between said guides and the die opening, and projectingslightly above the surface of the .die plate."

6. Sole punching means comprising a die plate having adie opening, a punch cooperating therewith, and positioning means for the sole, comprising a pair of diverging guides, and means for adjusting said guides in unison.

7 Sole punching apparatus comprising a die plate having a die opening, a punch cooperating therewith, and positioning means for the sole, comprising two diverging rows of sole engaging members arranged adja+' cent the die opening and on opposite sides of the'path of the punch 8. Sole punching apparatus comprising a die plate having a die opening, a punch cooperating therewith, and positioning means for the sole, comprising two diverging rows of vertically disposed rollers arranged adjacent the die opening and on opposite sides of the path of the punch.

9. Sole punching apparatus comprising a die plate having a die opening, a punch cooperating therewith, and positioning means for the sole, comprising two diverging rows of vertically disposed rollers arranged adjacent the die opening and on opposite sides of the path of the punch, a carrier for said rollers, and means for adjusting said carrier relative to the die opening. Y

10. Sole punching apparatus, comprising a die plate having a plurality of sets of die openings, a punch plate having punches cooperating therewith, a bar mounted to move towards and from the path of said punches, sole positioning devices carried by said bar, and means for adjusting the position of said bar.

11. Sole punching apparatus, comprising a die plate having a plurality of sets of die openings, a punch plate having punches c0 termined positions.

12. In a sole punching machine, a die plate having a heel and two sets of Sole punching means arranged abreast, a die plate having correspondingly arranged die openings, a bar having one end fulcrumed on a fixed pivot and mounted to swing in a plane parallel to said die plate, sole positure. V

JOSEPH E. VPERRAULT. 

